Zika-Free Beach Destinations on Points & Miles

Zika-Free Beach Destinations on Points & Miles

[DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medically trained professional; the destinations suggested are based on my research and understanding of the virus. Travel to these destinations at your own discretion]

The onslaught of the Zika virus and the deleterious affects on fetus has caused understandable concern amongst travelers worldwide, but in particular those in North America, on travel to the Caribbean, South America and Central America.

Some areas are more affected than others, but the question remains for those pregnant, or attempting to conceive: is it worth the risk?

60% of Americans have indicated that they would change their travel plans to avoid Zika zones.

So does that mean all of the Caribbean, South and Central America are off limits?

I am not a physician. Consult your doctor before going to any of those geographical regions. That being said, the CDC has published it’s map/list of Zika affected areas in those geographical regions, and as hard as it is to believe, there are still some Zika free beach-y destinations that are not as more or required as many miles asHawaii or Phuket, Thailand.

Or…

Per cdc.gov as of 04/18/16

So, what’s left?

Turks & Caicos

Nassau, Bahamas

Antigua and Barbuda

Monserrat

British Virgin Islands

Bermuda

Anguilla

Peru

Chile

Argentina

Uruguay

Keep in mind:

With many of the South American destinations you will may to transit through an airport that is in an affected area.

Do your own search; the tourism websites, if Zika free, will proudly display that (Bahamas, for example).

Contact your doctor!

The Fun Part: Using Miles

In terms of using miles on flights, Monserrat and the main airport in the British Virgin Islands (on Tortola, EIS) only has regional island flights which can only be booked using miles on United.

All tickets are one-way and coach/business

Destination

Airport Code

American

United

Air France

Singapore

Turks & Caicos

PLS

12,500/25,000

17,500/30,000

15,000/37,500

17,500/30,000

Nassua, Bahamas

NAS

12,500/25,000

17,500/30,000

15,000/37,500

17,500/30,000

Antigua & Barbuda

ANU

12,500/25,000

17,500/30,000

15,000/37,500

17,500/30,000

Monserrat

MNI

Not bookable

Not bookable

Not bookable

Not bookable

Tortola, British V.I.

EIS

Not bookable

17,500/30,000

Not bookable

Not bookable

Bermuda

BDA

12,500/25,000

17,500/30,000

15,000/37,500

17,500/30,000

Anguilla

AXA

12,500/25,000

17,500/30,000

15,000/37,500

17,500/30,000

Lima, Peru

LIM

20,000/30,000

20,000/35,000

17,500/42,500

30,000/50,000

Santiago, Chile

SCL

30,000/57,500

30,000/55,000

25,000/62,500

30,000/50,000

Buenos Aires, Argentina

EZE

30,000/57,500

30,000/55,000

25,000/62,500

30,000/50,000

Montevideo, Uruguay

MVD

30,000/57,500

30,000/55,000

25,000/62,500

30,000/50,000

Using Singapore miles on the United flights would get you to your Caribbean gateway, but not get you to Tortola (via most likely San Juan). Singapore air is not partners with the regional, non-Star Alliance partner so they would be unable to book you on that flight.

What about British, jetBlue and Delta?

British Airways Avios

British is distance based, so it will depend on your departure. In terms of using those miles on American flights, Miami has the most non-stop flights to the Caribbean and South and Central America. That’s great if you’re starting from Miami. If you’re leaving from any other hub there may, or may not be a direct flight, especially to some of these not-as-common Zika-free Caribbean locations. Check for departures from Charlotte (CLT), Raleigh-Duram (RDU), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) .

New York to Bermuda – 7,500 Avios/person/direction of travel

At 7,500 miles and $5.00, this is a great bargain

Miami to Nassau, Bahamas – 7,500 Avios/person/direction of travel

Using Avios for Caribbean getaways can be a great value, but if you need to connect via Miami or another focus/city or hub of American, British will charge you two award tickets.

jetBlue

Like Southwest, jetBlue’s award tickets are based off of the price of the ticket. So depending on the time of year and your flexibility (as always), you can score some sweet deals… or not so good.

jetBlue also operates many, many flights to many Caribbean and South/Central American destinations. San Juan is also a mini-hub for them so you can connect to some of the more remote islands via that airport.

jetBlue has a nice calendar view that shows you the cheapest prices:

New York’s JFK to Nassau, Bahamas, month of May –

Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is also a hub for jetBlue and a gateway to some locations, include Turks & Caicos:

Overall, jetBlue represents another solid option to lots of these destinations with nonstop availability. If you can be flexible, you’ll get better results and cheaper redemptions.

Delta

Delta is hardest to pin down as their Skymiles pricing is variable. It’s very possible to find one-ways from their North American gateways (ATL, DTW, JFK) to places like the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos for 10,000 Skymiles per direction, per person. Not a bad deal.

Here’s my tip: if you’re flexible, use the 5 week flexible calendar search. And always search one ways with Delta.

Here’s a sampling with random dates and some of the destinations from the chart.

Atlanta to Turks & Caicos, non-stop starting at 17,500 per person, per direction in coach:

But, can we do better?

New York to Nassau, Bahamas:

We sure can! That’s just one month, for one passenger, but I’ve seen these prices at various times of the year. If the tickets are worth about $100, or even a little less, I’d jump on these if the dates and timing worked.

Some points hotels in these locations:

This is not a comprehensive list of hotel options; rather, it shows a list of point options available in the location. I use Wandering Arameans Hotel Hustle tool to see availability and locations across the hotel chains.

Overall

Ultimately, it depends where you want to go and how flexible you can be. If you’re limited to the nine or ten destinations from the Zika free zone, you now have a sense of which miles are cheapest, best redemptions, and best flexibility. And because Zika is so limiting and if it is something you may want to avoid, it’s best use this list as a starting point.

-The Miner

[DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medically trained professional; the destinations suggested are based on my research and understanding of the virus. Travel to these destinations at your own discretion]